The Adventures of Ree and Gus
by ElwoodandtheInvisibles
Summary: Rose Weasley had a pretty nice life after Hogwarts. An internship, sweet boyfriend, and a supporting, if annoying, family. Then one night, all of it is shattered. Left with a life changing ailment, the future is not looking so good. And why is Scorpius Malfoy suddenly part of her life? Multi-chap. Suspended until further notice. See note inside.
1. A Beginning

**Hello! New story, hope you enjoy. It shall be multi-chap. There is one scene that could be described as a little graphic, because of violence. A little over 2,000 words.**

**To any who read my Lunar Chronicles story, I know I have not updated in forever, but I have many quite valid explanations. I'll explain it on **_**We'll Be OK**_ **later. **

_Baby, I'm howlin' for you._

_- Black Keys (my theme song:)_

Rose glanced surreptitiously from side to side, then edged the tight heels off of her feet and propped them up. It had been a long week, with half a dozen meetings and deadlines to meet. Mr. Alderton had nearly had her head over late notes, and her favorite quill had been squeaking for sixteen hours. It was somewhere around eight at night, and she was allowed to clock out as soon as Jesse got here. All because one spell developed to make Apparation easier absolutely _had_ to be introduced to the Ministry by Christmas.

_I will never trust a man named Jesse again, _Rose thought irritably, something in her back popping as she stretched. That boy was always late, half drunk, and eyeing the secretary's backside. The secretary in question was always bringing in roses with simpers of delight over her hapless suitors. The irony was not lost on Rose.

Realizing she had doodled a curvy girl applying the loser sign to her own forehead, Rose sharply flicked her wand to store it away for future speculation as she heard heavy footfalls approaching. And there was Jesse Hobday, the Great Prat in person.

"Hey, Rosie. Sorry I'm late. There was a young lady in dire need of help," Rose was suddenly fixated on how far up and down his eyebrows could go.

"I do not want to hear about your exploits, Hobday! Good day and have fun doing the registration papers," Rose replied shortly, and strode out of the cubicle, ends of her scarves swinging. In the winter, in Rose Weasley's book, it was mandatory to have at least one fuzzy scarf on hand. Ducking to avoid an especially ambitious paper airplane smelling of cologne, she wiggled her fingers in a goodbye to the irritating secretary.

The tiling in the hallways, a clean white, reflected the clicking of her purple heels. While a great vintage find, they were quite impractical in the matters of stealth and travel by foot. Head down, avoiding cracks in the floor as she walked, Rose jumped when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Rozzie!" she whirled around at the familiar voice, and tackled the person in tall young man grunted, his skinny knees buckling.

"Chris! When did you get back? Did they shorten your contract?" Rose beamed up into the face of her best friend.

"Naw. Charlie just reckoned with the matriarchs settling down for the winter, I could have a leave a couple weeks early, along with Christmas," Christopher Wood slung a comfortable arm around Rose's shoulders, and steered her towards the employee cafeteria.

"Got any good burns to show me?" Chris's face lit up at the mention of anything dragon related. A witch clad in tweed gave them a strange look as she passed by. It took a lot of strength for Rose not to comment on her flipped hair.

"A couple, though I can't right strip here. Or if you want, we can put on a show…" he trailed off, his good-natured face split into a laws of the world-and-everything defyingly wide smile. Rose laughed loudly, and hit his arm, which was noticeably less stringy than the last time she had seen him.

"I named the latest Anna. She's a Welsh, but I swear she'll develop some blue scales on her stomach in the next year," Chris stopped talking about his latest love long enough to find a table for two. The caf held witches and wizards that had deep purple bags below their eyes and large case files, aside from a few chipper visitors like the young man who stood out with his frosted tips, scars and tattoos.

"What'll it be, Roz?" Chris studied the sparse menu, raising his eyes to get her answer.

"I'll be wild and get a mocha, I think… Oh, Merlin!" she theatrically clapped a hand to her forehead, a habit developed in the weeks leading up to OWLs, a few months after they had started smuggling food to empty classrooms together and become best mates over this common ground.

"What?"Chris had grown accustomed to the antics of the Potter-Weasley clan, and so was on guard whenever such a statement was issued by Rose.

"I'm really sorry, my bestest mate in the whole entire universe of the cosmos, but I promised Rudy that I would meet him for tea or something. He's had a paper due, and I haven't seen him for weeks, practically," Rose winced at her own forgetfulness, and the crinkle occupying Chris' forehead.

"When will you stop breaking my heart?It's okay, I'll just follow you home from work tomorrow, or something creepy like that. And chat up the barista in the meantime. He's pretty cute...I mean for a guy with such skinny legs," Rose smiled and kissed him on the cheek, swinging her jacket back on.

"His name is Jamie!" She called out, without turning around. She didn't mention that he had lived in the Gryffindor tower with them for five years, and had a penchant for making things explode.

The air outside was crisp, but refreshing, and free of the dank smell of old parchment. Her mother may have loved the smell, but it got tiresome to Rose after long days in the office. She had been an intern for a good six months, and was hoping to get officially hired soon. Then there would be pay, benefits and less brewing coffee for stodgy elders.

A smattering of dirty snow lay in the London gutters, and a thin layer of ice crunched under Rose's feet. Casting a furtive nonverbal _focillo_, her hand curled around her wand in its nook inside her thin coat, a gentle warmth spread to her toes. Her nose tingled as it combated the icy wind with magic.

Rudy's flat was pathetically close to the Ministry, their shared work place, so she opted to walk through the festively lit streets instead of Apparate. As they wound into smaller, more cramped roads, the intersections grew less busy and the occasional wilting tree sprouted from the sidewalk. A man curiously dressed as an elf waved energetically to her, bells clinking on a tall green hat. _Muggles_.

Rounding a corner, Rose grinned at the green Victorian Rudy shared with a mob of Gryffindors, perpetually squatting in the mud pit that had swallowed the front yard. Johnie, who insisted on spelling his name "originally", was having a shouting match with the Muggle postal man. _Oh, dear_, Rose thought and went to intervene.

"Johnie! Did I get my package?" she called, improvising, while trying not to trip over errant refuse.

"What? Oh, hi Rose. This little piece of.." Rose had reached him and hastily elbowed him in the gut as he started to swear again.

"I'm really sorry, sir. My friend has been forgetting his meds recently," Johnie resisted for a moment, then gave up as Rose led him to the entryway.

"Anyone else home?" she asked, after giving him a fierce glare and firmly shutting the door.

"Rudy's been whinging all day, waiting for you. The rest of the fellas are in the basement arguing over a game of Exploding Snap. Imbeciles," Johnie sniffed derisively, then stalked back up to his room, sliding his glasses back up his curved nose. Rose sniggered quietly to herself, then followed him, turning right.

His door open, Rudy was hunched over parchment, frantically scratching with the worn eagle feather quill Rose had gotten him for his birthday, three months ago. Letting herself ponder over how cute he was when his hair stuck up that high, she leaned against the doorway. Hearing the slide of the fabric, Rudy looked up and grinned widely at her.

Bounding out of the armchair that had taken many a balancing spell to get up the stairs, he came over to where he stood. He kissed her forehead, the feeling a tiny murmur against her skin, then harder on her lips.

"Hi," he said, in a whisper, his nose colliding with hers. She slid her fingers through his dark hair.

"Hello," she laughed, and kissed him again.

"Oi! Get a room! Just because you have a girl doesn't mean you can show her off," that had to be Marcus, a hard-drinking layabout who had yet to acquire a job and pay his monthly rent.

"I object," Rudy said, smiling quizzically at his girlfriend, still bent over from all her giggling. Gesturing to him with a nudge, Rose stole his seat and bent over to look at what he was working on. Arithmancy, it seemed, which was not good considering Rose was absolute rubbish at the subject. The alphabet was so much more sensible than numbers.

"How's the work going?" she asked, trying to decipher one of the simpler problems on the page.

"Fine. But my life has been quite dull without you, darling," Rudy said, a slightly wicked smile on his face.

"Aww, thanks, doll. But, before you distract me with your wooing, I have to leave… Um, in half an hour. I'm sorry, it's a Weasley function on fricking Thursday night. They have no respect for eighteen year olds," at Rudy's horrible attempt to pout, Rose went over to sit on his neatly made bed.

"Agh! Sorry, your hair somehow made its way into my mouth," leaning against his side, Rose laughed and tucked the red frizz behind her ear. Snaking his hand around her waist, he leaned back, tipping them both back. Lying side by side, Rose sank back into the mattress.

With a jolt, Rose awoke. Staring at the horribly beige ceiling with winding cracks, she realized she was still at Rudy's. The boy was curled in on himself, wheezing slightly in his sleep. Extricating herself carefully, Rose waved her wand to write out a note in golden ink. It would do no good to awake him. Stepping into the hallway, Rose closed her eyes and spun, the room splitting into a thousand fragments of light.

She landed with a thud in tall grass. Bother. She should have allowed herself another minute to wake up before trying to Apparate. The Burrow was nowhere in sight. With a sigh of resignation, she whispered _lumos_ and headed in what she believed to be a southerly direction.

As the grass thinned, she heard a sharp snap behind her. Whirling around, she saw nothing, only the grass gently swaying in the night breeze. The croak of a frog sounded, then was quickly silenced, as if someone had gestured for it to be quiet. Holding up her lit wand, Rose cast light on the vast silent wilderness before her. Now the night was eerily quiet, devoid of crickets chirping and the calls of the mournful night birds that clustered in these woods at night.

_I'm being way too paranoid, _Rose thought finally, and swung back around to try and feel her way to more flat ground, get her bearings, and Apparate once again. Climbing a hillock, another noise sounded. It was distinctly the sound of jaws being clamped. A tooth scraping against another.

Her mind process stilled, Rose turned in time to get a glimpse of the being behind her.

A slavering beast, the wolf that stood below her must have come to her waist. It's fur glowed, lit up by the full moon hung behind the tree line. _The full moon._ A pink tongue slipped out of a red mouth to lick it's shining teeth, it's eyes dark and harshly intelligent. The second before it struck, Rose had time think one word. _Werewolf_.

Rose wasn't sure whether she screamed before it struck, or the second it's teeth sank so easily into her neck. So small next to those jaws. The pain hit a second after, excruciating, ripping from the top of her body to the bottom. The burn was intensified as the wolf went to tear at the flesh once again. Rose could smell her blood, and feel its slickness running down her shirt and pool around her hands. She knew then, that she was to die in the next moment. That was when Rose dimly registered a shout. Red flashed, and the weight was off of her chest.

The last thing she saw before spinning into blackness was a pair of gray eyes.

**Whose eyes do you think those are? Thanks so much for reading! If you were to leave a review, which would be awesome, I request no flames please. And another thing is that if you think that Rose was Mary Sue-ish, I promise she's more complex and I'll build her character up soon :).**

**-Elwood**


	2. A Discovery

A**N: Second chapter. It ended up being a little over 3,000 words. Enjoy! Thanks so much for the views, follows and favorite I got, guys. Hope you had a good holiday season.**

**Disclaimer: I forgot about this last time. Sorry! This all belongs to J.K. Rowling, bless her.**

Rose's eyelids felt heavy, her eyelashes grafted to her cheekbones. When she tried to lift a hand, it refused to move from its place on her bed. No, this wasn't her bed. It was harder, and the sheets were wrapped too snugly around her hips. Scrunching her cheeks through an impressive display of muscle spasming, Rose managed to unstick her eyelids. They fluttered, fighting against her, but she saw that she was in the center of a small, cube shaped room. It was white, and the light in the ceiling burned her retinas.

There was a beeping as she struggled to move her torso, echoing around her head, burrowing its way into her eardrums. A comical skidding of shoes on tiles sounded on the other side of where she surmised the door was, and the horrid noise stopped as the door was opened swiftly. Still blinking, Rose couldn't see who it was, only their white garb. Probably a Healer, although why did she need one?

A moment later, a pair of cold, smooth hands brushed their way down her face. A finger gently edged up one eyelid. The healer was a young man, his eyes small but soft.

"Hey. ? You've come back to us!" his voice was relieved, the creases between his thick brown brows relaxing.

"Wh-aat?" Rose's voice cracked mid word. Her eyes were obeying commands now, and she could clearly see the room now. Someone had put a vase of daffodils on the bedside table, their color stark against the monotone walls.

"Are you feeling any pain at the moment?" the Healer had schooled his features, and checked her pulse with an elaborate twirl of his wand. It was dark and gnarled.

"Erm, no...Can I sit up please?" without waiting for his answer, Rose attempted to lift herself to a sitting position. A shooting pain hit her in the neck, and on the right side of her head. It felt like a great fissure was spreading across her flesh to the bone of her skull, and Rose fell back against the pillow.

"Oh, dear, please don't attempt to move again! I just need to stabilize you and give you some numbing cream, then your family can come in...And explain what happened," Andrew, as his name tag read, withdrew a neon yellow tube from one of his voluminous pockets that had garish, blinking writing. It reminded Rose of when Ron had briefly worked in the joke shop, bringing home often violent prank objects that were promptly thrown out by Hermione.

Without tilting her neck, Andrew spread the cream in a wide circle, around the large itchy bandage. Almost immediately a pleasant tingling crept towards the focal point of the pain. Rose's tense muscles loosened, and the Healer siphoned off extra cream with the point of his wand.

"I'll just go get your family… I'm afraid no friends at this point," he bustled off, putting up the door jam. Outside of the previously soundproofed room people and trays of food whisked to and fro. A petite nurse with coiled black hair smiled tightly when Rose caught her eye.

A few moments later, Rose heard the fastly moving onslaught of relatives. Her parents were first, Hermione clutching Ron's arm with a frightening grip. While Ron had turned a fierce red to the tips of his ears, all color had fled from Hermione's. Her practical boots were clicking unevenly with Ron and Harry's loafers, Victoire's heels adding to the din.

"Oh, darling!" Hermione swept down on her in a rush of fresh air, then hesitated, as if afraid touching Rose would break her. Deciding on a kiss to the forehead, she shakily sat in one of the hard plastic chairs arranged in a half circle, letting Ron, the cousins and the aunts and uncles be near her.

There was a blur as every cousin rushed forward. Victoire smiled in her sad way, squeezing her hand, leaving behind the scent of gardenias and ylang-ylang.

"What are you doing here?" Rose croaked, when she spotted Hugo and Lily, who suddenly looked terribly small. It was another week before they were let out for the holidays.

"They let us leave. You...You got really hurt, Rosie," Hugo trailed off. The two sixth years glanced at each other nervously, arousing Rose's suspicion, before letting Harry gently kiss her hair.

"What happened? All I can remember is going to say hi to Rudy...He's been busy,"

"You don't remember anything?" Ron asked, his voice laced with rage for some unknowable danger. Hermione reached forward and held Rose's limp fingers. She hadn't noticed that they were cold until her mother held them.

"Tell me," Rose asked, suddenly angered at their hesitance. Hermione let out a small sound, and a tear rolled down her cheek. It landed on the sheets, and Rose stared at the small, perfect circle it made.

"Rosie. As far we can tell, you tried to...Apparate to the…," Hermione broke off, and swallowed nervously. Her hand, still clasping Rose's, shook slightly. The silence grew and strained.

"Erm, I'll tell her, Hermione. It was a full moon last night... You were bitten by a werewolf," Harry moved forward as if to hug her, then drew back, nervously rubbing the bridge of his nose. Rose was silent for a moment, before the impact of the words hit her.

"What?" her voice was quiet, but conveyed the weight of the word "Are you telling me I'm a..Am I like Uncle Bill?"

"No, Rose-Bud. You're fully affected," Ron whispered this, then cleared his throat.

"I'm a werewolf then?" Rose's voice rose till it squeaked on the last syllable of the sentence.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, head hung, as if at a funeral.

"But, Rosie, the werewolf would have killed you if someone hadn't interrupted it. He saved you," Hermione spoke up, tears still dripping slowly from her red-rimmed eyes onto her blotchy face. Rose had always thought Hermione looked a decade younger when she cried.

"Who was it?" Rose interrupted brewing storm, eyes flashing from one redhead to another. Her chest felt constricted, and her breath was speeding up, each intake of air shallow.

"The werewolf? They haven't been able to figure it out. Don't know how bloody hard it could be…," Ron clenched his jaw. He was clutching the iron bars at the bottom of the bed, and his knuckles were strained, skin as white as the jutting joints.

"No, who saved me?" Rose asked, breathing slowed to a steady beat. The identity of her savior was something to focus on, besides the glaring _problem _that was taking up all the empty space in the air. In all their heads. Rose wished that Chris was here. He would somehow, undeniably, know what to do.

"Scorpius Malfoy. He found you on Malfoy property," Hermione squeezed her husband's hand. To have his nemesis's son save his daughter left a pained look on his face. His bushy orange eyebrows went up and down, then settled somewhere in between, in resignation.

"Oh," Rose murmured. The room was going in and out, shimmering like the far end of a field on a hot day.

'Are you okay, darling?" Hermione leaned forward, and out of a habit ingrained from her Muggle days, rested her cool palm on Rose's forehead.

"S' spinning. You're going down...In spirals," Hermione's lips pursed, and she furtively muttered a spell over Rose. The world snapped back to attention, and the features of the room sharpened.

"Head clearing charm. Don't tell any of the Healers, they'll have my head," her eyes held a little fire, like how Ron described them when she had brewed Polyjuice potion or hit a Slytherin in the face while at Hogwarts.

"Much better. Thanks, Mum. You're brilliant," Rose said, a little sleepily. Hermione clucked to herself, as if to wave the compliment off. She had had a lifetime of praise.

"But, not to offend you lot, do you know if Chris is here? Or Rudy?" she continued, scanning the faces in the room.

"Yeah, I saw them out front. They both look as if a vamp got to 'em," Hugo piped up, from behind an aunt. Audrey, Rose believed.

"Could I see them? Then you could come right back?" there was a mass somber nodding of heads, and sad, leaky smiles. Filing out, robes whispering against the narrow door, they kissed her or awkwardly hugged her one by one. It would be amusing, were they not so distraught.

Right away, two tall boys bounded in. One was wiry and windswept, the other solid and dark.

"Rosie!" they said at the same moment, then awkwardly glanced at each other and then away again.

"Rudy. Chris," Rose's voice cracked, and for the first time she sobbed. At their expressions, she patted the bed, hard. The sheets crackled under her flat hand. In the way best friends and lovers do, they knew what Rose wanted, and so each took a hand. Rudy rubbed small circles into her knuckles, because he could not pace.

_I love you_, she wanted to say to both of them, but the weight of her tears choked the words down. So they leaned against each other gingerly, gently. And they matched their breathing, and focused only on the in and out of breath. Rose could feel the thrum of the two boys lying on either side of her, their hearts. She could imagine Rudy's, slow but strong. Chris' would be like a flame; fluttering and fierce.

In the silence, the ache in her neck grew. It reminded her of what had actually occurred, that her ailment would _always_ be there. A clever counter-curse could not solve this. Breathing hot air onto Rudy's neck, he looked up. His eyes were a little wet, but he was smiling a little bit.

"Can you check on my family? Make sure they haven't murdered a messenger?" the three of them laughed a little too loudly at that. Maybe because it was true.

" Alright, then. I'll clean up any of the blood," he slipped out without bouncing the mattress, for which Rose was grateful.

"How's it going, Rosalind?" Chris asked, one side of his mouth smiling. He had a thousand nicknames for Rose, and utilized a different one every time they had a conversation.

"Okay, Dragon Boy. I don't think it's completely hit me yet. This sort of thing doesn't happen to girls like me…" she trailed, not sure how to illustrate her point.

"You'll make it. I promise," serious for once, Chris sat up cross legged, so Rose could see him. She took the opportunity to use her pleading face, and mouthed a request to him. He understood, if reluctantly.

"This is not manly at all," he grumbled, but Rose could see the smile lurking in his eyes.

Linking pinky fingers, he cleared his throat.

"I solemnly swear that we, Christopher Wood and Rose Weasley, together in having names shockingly dull and being normal in wacko families will remain "besties" through thick, thin, cheating exes and the world in general," they finished at different times, Chris finishing out with his deep voice.

"Thanks. I needed my mantra. And I have a suggestion. Can we add werewolf dom?" Rose appealed, wincing slightly at how it sounded.

"Sure, Nugget. 'Through thick, thin, cheating exes, werewolf dom, and the world in general'" they both sighed quietly.

"Hope you don't mind it wasn't last?" Chris asked, with a quirked eyebrow. Rose shook her head in reply as Victoire put her head in. Her eyelids were dusted with gold, and a pair of blue sunglasses pushed her shaggy blonde bob back.

"Hey. Um, I'm the representative from the family. The guy who rescued you is actually here, and all parties think you should talk. Is that okay?" she chewed her lip attractively. Everything Victoire did was attractive.

"Well, I should thank him. He's the keeper of my soul, I suppose," Rose mused/

"He's waiting outside, whenever you're ready. The Aunts and Uncles already discussed it with him, and the Ministry got the event down on parchment," Victoire smiled briefly at Chris, then left.

"Thanks, Chris, for the mantra and being my best friend. Seriously. Now get to work," Rose pointed, or attempted to point, to the door. Her arm was shaking and wouldn't lift more than four inches from her side.

"Rosaria, it's eleven at night. And I've been here for nine hours," Chris managed to look simultaneously amused and alarmed.

"How long have I been out?"

"Just 26 hours!"

"Well, just get some sleep then. Don't give me that look, I'm just fine."

"Owl me, Rosie," he was always serious when he broke out the Rosie.

"I will! Now go sleep. Or go to a bar, I don't care, just have some fun," he waved, which was ridiculous considering they were still in the same cupboard sized room, and then turned to leave. In stepped a young man.

The first thing she noticed was that he was dressed in all black. Trousers and button down shirt, in a slightly out of date Muggle style, topped off with old but comfortable looking dress shoes and a knee length cape. The shoes made no noise on the linoleum, through magic or wear.

He was slender and tall, with downwards slipping shoulders and too long limbs. His feet were quite large. Traveling her gaze to his face, Rose remembered with a jolt a few deep buried memories. She had sat across from him in Astronomy, and remembered his almost white hair lighting up under projections of the stars. His face was nice enough, with swooping cheekbones and a well placed nose, but his eyes were the real crowning glory.

In studying the art of the stars, Rose had also managed to study Scorpius Malfoy's eyes. It was an infatuation forgotten by lunch, and a classmate dismissed at graduation. But with the specimen so close, Rose remembered her observations. They were gray, for the most part, but upon observing with a subtle magnifying charm you could see they were ringed by other colors, multiple blues flecking the flinty stone. In certain lights they lost their gray, and shone like a veritable gemstone.

For his eyes, they _flashed. _Like the eyes of the cliche superhero gone to save his lady. They moved swiftly, like Malfoy ate up the view in great gulps. As he was doing then, in Rose's room. After an awkward moment of silent staring he stiffly folded into one of the chairs. Its short, slippery seat gave the impression his arms and legs would slide off.

"Rose Weasley. I believe we have informally met before, but I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he awkwardly started to reach forward with one hand, and then seemed to realize they wouldn't be able to shake. His manners seemed gentlemanly, but rusted and in need of a good oil.

"Nice to meet you. We were in a couple classes together, I think? Same year at least," Rose laughed a little, which sent shoots of pain down her body, before continuing.

"I'm sorry, I forgot what house you were in," his steady gaze while she spoke unnerved her.

"Ravenclaw. You were a Gryffindor, correct?" his eyes had maintained their fascinating blend of color.

"Yeah. Listen, thank you… Well, I can't even thank you because of the magnitude of what you did. If you hadn't done that, my parents would be deciding on marble or onyx," at Rose's morbid humor Scorpius's visage cracked a little.

"Anyone would have done it in my place," he replied quickly. There were traces of an aristocratic accent in his voice, which made perfect sense considering he was a _Malfoy._

""I don't know, you could have asked for prize money or something...Unless you did?" his expression did not reassure her.

"Godric's teeth! Did I just offend you?" Rose would have clapped a hand over her face if she had been able to, but then was glad she did not. A slow smile slid across Scorpius's face, the tips of his teeth showing.

" No, I wouldn't. Ravenclaws _can_ be kind you know. And, by the way, I like the saying Godric's teeth. Never heard it before," the amusement was lingering in his voice.

"Good," Rose said with a sigh, trying to relax her shoulders into the pillows "So, does this mean that you own part of my soul now?"

"I wouldn't do well with that kind of responsibility, most likely. How about you buy me a coffee at Murietta's some time?" he leaned forward, and Rose could see a silver chain slip out of his shirt and swing back and forth in a mesmerizing dance.

"Okay. But I don't do Murietta's. Rocky's does the real stuff," Rose smiled back, challenging Scorpius to show an emotion again. He had a nice smile.

"Where's that?"

"Ah-ha. It's a hole in the wall, literally, off of a Muggle street," Rose and Scorpius met eyes in an agreement.

"I'll owl you, erm, on Sunday?" Scorpius asked as Rose became aware that she was smiling too brightly for eleven o'clock at night. Especially in a hospital bed. Especially a little over 24 hours after she got bitten by a _werewolf_ of all things.

"Brilliant. If they haven't let me out by then, I'll fight my way free," Scorpius smiled again, this time without showing his teeth. It was a little sadder.

"Nice to meet you, Scorpius Malfoy. Thank you for saving my life. _Thank you_," Rose looked up at the young man, now standing.

"It was nice to meet you as well. And save you," Scorpius said quietly, then bent his head in an almost bow, before stepping out of the room. Rose closed her eyes, relishing in the silence she knew would not last. She was a Weasley after all.

Scorpius was nice. A new oddity entering the old routine of her life, someone to drink coffee with, as most Weasleys were tea drinkers. The sound of someone running- or rather bounding- to her room interrupted the pleasant train of thought.

"Rosie! A couple of Ministry agents in really ugly pinstriped robes want to see you!" Louis, at twelve, was in a shouting phase.

"Thanks, Louis. Might as well tell them to come up," Rose sighed. She was in for a heck of a ride now.

**Thanks so much for reading. Feel free to drop a review with questions or whatever, just no flames please! **

**-Elwood**


	3. An Owl Named Thomas

**Hello! I know I haven't updated in forever, I know! But here's around 5 pages for you all. Hope that you like:-)**

"And make sure to _come in_ soon, so we can check up on it," the stern nurse with a shiny ponytail illustrated her points with a spiky quill.

The man who had been there when she woke up winked, and hastily muttered a last charm that drew away some of the dull pain in her body.

"Thanks, I will. When can I start working again?" Rose asked, curling a loose strand of hair around her finger. The nurse clucked her tongue knowingly at her.

"Really, young people these days! I'd say wait at least a week, if you must, although two would be better for you," the nurse laughed despairingly, and made a shooing gesture with her hand. Rose stood up, and thanked the Healers again.

Bill was waiting for her in the main entrance, that day's paper unfurled before him. A little girl with two noses was crying a few seats over, her mother anxiously knelt at her feet.

"Rosie, how you feeling?" he asked, his deep voice sweeping over the room. Rose hurried over, self consciously raising a hand to her obviously bandaged neck, and kissed his ravaged cheek.

"Good enough. They sent you to talk to me, I assume?" Rose sighed. Her family meddled so much.

"Can't I pick up my favorite niece from the hospital?" Bill asked, frowning at her, mocking hurt. Rose hit his arm, rather weakly.

"Well, you have more common sense than most of them, the poor devils. I still say you should have looked at Gringotts, you know. And as for a talk, I don't think I'm going to give you one," he ended with an awkward shrug, and nudged her towards the door.

"Good," Rose replied, and leaned into his broad side as they stepped into the sun.

"Is still having all of your nose a plus for you?" they both laughed uproariously, peaking the interest of a few Muggle tourists snapping pictures of a bridge. Bill's coat did make him look a bit like a skinned bear.

"Nah, your nose is still mostly there! Blimey, laughing hurts…" Rose trailed off, her tone reminiscent of Ron's, while her uncle continued chortling.

"Do you reckon Mum's arms are getting sore from all the hugging?" Rose whispered over the soup to Ron. He snorted, then straightened his face at the murderous glare Molly sent him. It was Saturday night, the dinner to which Molly insisted every one of her children, their spouses and offspring had to come.

"I heard that," Hermione leaned over, sending one of her famous glares to her husband and elder child. They both assumed innocent smiles, which had yet to fool her.

"So, Rosie, how's your job treating you?" Arthur asked, quieting the small conversations that had sprouted. She squirmed uncomfortably under the silence.

"Good, Grandpa. I'm hoping that they might officially hire me kind of soon. They really took my advice on a charm that assists Apparation recently," Arthur and Molly beamed at her, Molly's eyes gleaming suspiciously bright.

"Fascinating!" Percy exclaimed, his glasses gleaming in the light of the floating lanterns. Lucy groaned in anticipation of another speech, planting her petite, pointed chin in her hands.

"Does it work more with space or density?" the man was truly hooked, not simply trying to distract his niece.

"We configured it so it takes into account the space taken up by the user versus distance. I, however, worked more on the Latin roots of the actual words used," Rose elaborated, waving her hands around enthusiastically, nearly getting Roxanne in her pierced nose.

"Hmm, that makes more sense now…," Percy conjured a loose sheet of parchment and quill, muttering and scribbling to the side of his plate.

"Daddy, we're still _eating_. You already work, like, ten hours a day!" Lucy hit him on the shoulder, sliding his plate back under his nose.

"Ah, yes," he looked down, frowning at his brussel sprouts.

"Mum, the potatoes are beautiful," Charlie said, brushing his long hair out of his face. He had been called home the night after the _incident_, and was already pining after his dragons. Rose often wasn't sure whether he loved them like a father or a husband.

"Thank you, Charlie. You probably don't get any good food out there in Romania," Molly beamed, and Charlie awkwardly shrugged his shoulders and put more potatoes in his mouth. There was a sudden gleaming in the matriarch's eye.

"So, Charlie, have you...met anyone nice?" Molly inquired innocently.

"Mom, we've been over this. I'm with Katie," Charlie sighed. Rose stifled a laugh.

"I know, sweetie, but don't you want kids? Katie doesn't seem the type to, well, even marry," Charlie swept his hand through his hair, exasperated.

"I've been dating her for nearly half a decade! Do you expect me to just give up on her? I assure you, we're both very happy," Molly retreated, clucking.

"Alright, then dear… I suppose you are a bit old anyways…" she trailed off deviously, Arthur sending her an alarmed glance from down the table.

"Thanks for dinner, Mum. But I must ask to be be excused. I promised _Katie_ I would talk to her," Charlie ground out her name, and disappeared with a pop.

"Oh, dear. I did it again, didn't I?"Molly sighed, and there was a collective laugh from the whole table.

"Uh-huh, Grandma," Fred replied cheekily to the rhetorical question. Roxanne flicked him in between the eyes. He tipped her plate onto her lap in retaliation, to which she screamed and drew her wand.

The combination of her ferocious red lips, frizzing black curls and drawn weapon sent her brother running from his chair.

George caged Roxie in with one outstretched arm, and offhandedly sent a charm at his son. Fred started laughing maniacally, collapsing onto the dewy grass.

"Why, oh why, wasn't I born to another family?" Rose groaned, planting her face on the blue and white checkered tablecloth as she heard a resonating slap and Angelina's raised voice.

"What, Angie? We're in the middle of a prank off!" George protested weakly. Rose opened her eyes in time to see him slink down in his seat.

Molly clapped her hands, and with a swish of her wand all their plates rose into the air. A quiet fell over the table as her glare rose over them like a great shadow.

"Thank you. I swear, Freddie… Audrey, would you mind helping me in the kitchen? I have that recipe for flaming cherries for you, by the way," Molly finished smugly, queen of her brood once again.

"Thanks, Molly," Audrey replied, crafting her streaked dark hair into a long, sleek ponytail.

The rest of the lot filtered back into the house, settling in plush armchairs, starting a game of chess, or running for first dibs on the bathroom. Hermione grabbed Rose's wrist and pulled her behind the rush of her cousins, smiling at her softly.

"The Ministry Flooed me earlier, they want to meet with you. Get your statement, a mentor, and...Register you," Rose nodded numbly.

"I guess this is just an affirmation of what we already knew," she said, to which her mother surged forward and surprised her with a hug, Rose knew their hair must be a sight now, red and brown colliding in their mutual frizziness.

"My Rosie... My Rosie, you were always so level-headed. You know you can let it out?" Hermione said, her eyes shining a little bit as she held Rose out in front of her like a newborn babe.

"Thanks, Mum. I just don't _feel _it yet. It might take a full moon to get there," Rose hiccupped, but her eyes were still dry.

"Rosie, you know you're still exactly the same. Just tougher," Rose laughed bitterly at that, bringing her arms back to her sides.

"I know. It's just...I'm going to get homicidal urges once a month!" Hermione let go of her then, and wiped her right eye, then her left with a dainty movement of her hand. She'd been to too many Ministry functions lately.

"Not with Wolfsbane. I've never made it but I'm sure that I could start. Or ask Corinne at the office. She's a whiz with Potions," Hermione spoke tentatively, a hopeful lilt to her voice.

"I mean I feel like part of my soul is… Nevermind. Thanks, though maybe Corinne could make it for the first few, you know?" Hermione laughed, patted her shoulder, and turned back into the house.

_I feel like my soul has been changed, _Rose thought, staring out at the slowly waving grass.

_Like something's been tacked on, _she realized with a startle. She had felt jumpy and tired, yet ready to play a five hour Quidditch match all at the same time, the whole time since that night. The wind whipped its way around her, the plants beneath her bare feet tickling them. With a shiver, she went back towards the warm den full of family.

"Ms. Weasley, so glad to see you back on your feet," the warm, green haired witch said, wrapping Rose's hand in both of her own. She vaguely remembered her from the hospital, but not the wrinkled, stooped man beside her.

"So am I," Rose replied, gesturing for them to sit down. The woman smoothed her skirt down and beamed at the orange couch while the man made a noncommittal noise and sat in Arthur's chair .

"We already got an account from Mr. Malfoy, but his story was missing huge chunks, you could say," the witch, who Rose now recalled had asked to call her Daisy, said delicately.

Rose recounted the story, stopping when she encountered mind blocks and once to get biscuits for Daisy and the wrinkled man.

"So has any of the actual attack come back to you?" Daisy asked, while the quill next to her stopped for a moment, then resumed skating over the page.

"The...pain," Rose gave a violent shudder as she remembered her skin splitting, and Daisy bit her lip, eyes wide.

"I'm really sorry to ask this of you, but could we see it?" she asked, glancing at her companion.

"The bite, you mean?" Rose asked, and mentally cursed at the way her voice wavered. At their mutual nod, she slowly peeled the pad of gauze off. The skin was sticky, still leaking blood no matter how many healing charms she put on it.

She heard an almost inaudible gasp from Daisy. Upon coming home, she had hobbled up the stairs and locked herself in the bathroom. The scar was an ugly red, rough and rippling, wrapping around her neck. The werewolf hadn't planned this, she was sure, and had tried to go for the kill.

"Do you mind if we take a picture of it? For the file?" Rose nodded her consent, and squeezed her eyes shut before the flash of light came, burning flashing spots into her eyelids.

The heavy black camera sputtered and clanked, spitting out an image. It looked even worse there, held up against her pale neck. A bright scar for a bright haired girl.

"Thank you Rose. Now, I have to ask you a few obligatory…," Daisy was cut off by the slashing hand of the old man.

"Let me handle this, Woodrow. You must understand, some people consider lycanthropy a weapon. And the events of your attack are, frankly, unusual. It is surprising that it managed to get to you," the man's voice was rough, as if he had smoked for many years.

"What exactly are you implying, sir?" Rose sputtered, taken aback by his harsh tone.

"I'm just suggesting, Ms. Weasley, that you keep yourself in check every full moon. Or else it could warrant an investigation," the man's lip curled for a moment before he resumed his blank gaze.

"You mean you think that I set it up to get bitten on purpose?! That's...What the hell?!" Rose raised her voice, pale eyebrows shooting upwards.

"I'm just mentioning that that is _always_ a possibility, in the Ministry's books. Fenrir Greyback started a movement that uses their curse-or they would call it a gift- in an offensive, brutal way. I'm sure you're aware, your parents being who they are, that there are still Neo-Death Eaters out there," Rose was speechless, shaking her head back and forth slightly as the man stood up, Daisy scrambling to follow him.

"We'll get you in touch with your mentor, a Mr. Skinner. Good day, ," the man said crisply and Apparated before he reached the doorway. Daisy squeaked, raised her hand and disappeared in a swirl of bright color.

Rose clenched her fists around a hank of hair on each side and gritted her teeth as Ron popped his head in.

"Daughter dearest,...Are you alright? Did they do something?" Ron's face went from jovial to an angry red in only a few seconds, and Rose smiled tightly, releasing her hair.

"They're apparently under the impression some people ask for a fat scar and furriness!" Rose fumed, and Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulder, frowning.

"Don't listen to them, sweetheart. I can always threaten them with a demotion, too. Aurors are pretty high up, you know," he ruffled her hair, and she sighed heavily.

"Kay, Dad. Just don't get in trouble again. Can you tell Mum and the rest I'm headed up?" Rose asked, feigning fatigue.

"You know Grandma made chocolate mousse?"Ron asked frowning. He knew better than anyone that she had an obsession for the stuff.

"Eh, I'll eat some for breakfast. Don't tell any of the other womenfolk," it was nice to be eighteen and free to eat sweets for breakfast.

"Only men are supposed to say that!" Ron said indignantly, but patted her one last time before leaving her to go upstairs. Lacking a devious plan most teenagers would have ready, she did as her father said.

Glad to see neither Lucy, Lily nor Roxanne she launched herself onto the bottom bunk with a running start and bounced onto her back. Seizing a purple pillow that was undoubtedly Lily's, Rose put her face to it and screamed into the soft, nubbly surface for a long moment.

Done, for the moment, Rose lay spreadeagled on the bedspread. The jittering had returned to her limbs, an itching to run until she fell down. She was just attempting to extricate hair from her mouth when she heard a tapping on the window.

A golden eyed owl with sleek, tawny feathers was battling the wind valiantly, a letter tied round its leg with red string. _A true Gryffindor of an owl, _Rose thought before opening the window for it. It dove in, landing smoothly on the oak dresser. With a smug look it gestured to its leg, and began preening.

The parchment inside the envelope was thick, the ink a shimmering blue.

_Dear Ms. Weasley,_

_I was wondering if I could take you up on that offer of coffee. Roogie's you said? Anyways, your choice. You can send Thomas back with your preference of days._

_Hope to see you._

_S.M._

Rose grinned and rustled for a quill before finding one of Roxanne's silly peacock ones with a pot of crusty ink.

_S.M._

_I should be delighted. How about tomorrow? I can pick you up, seeing as I'm still off, even if that makes the situation a little strange. And Thomas? I need the back story._

_R.W._

A second after hoisting Thomas into the breeze, Rose realized she had forgotten to ask him if this was a _date _date and how to explain Rudy without sounding horrid. Botheration.

**Thanks so much for reading. Feel free to drop a review with questions or whatever, just no flames please! Writing this story makes me so happy:)**

**-Elwood**


	4. The Introduction of Ree and Gus

**AN:I have a kind of a long AN. First, on a light note, look out for a very subtle Skulduggery Pleasant reference, if you've read the series. Basically, I don't know how this chapter really came out because I had a bad week. I'm lucky enough to be able to be around horses, and a couple days ago my favorite died and he was the best horse I've ever met. It might seem silly to some people to get really sad about it, but I get very attached to horses.**

**So Freddie Boy, this is for you. I'll remember you and your stubborn, sweet nature forever.**

**Update: Thanks Plucie. for letting me know about the mistake. I have no idea what happened.**

Ginny had let her leave the house only after much pleading on two knees, only relenting at the mention of the need for companionship. She had always not-so-secretly thought her niece needed more friends, and had practically rejoiced at the mention of her first boyfriend, in October of sixth year.

Rose had made her promise not to mention it to anyone, calling her excursion "a light walk in the woods". She stopped to admire the oak tree outside the Potter's, and a shiver went through her body. Digging her fingernails into her arm, Rose turned away, and twisted into midair.

The smoky, thick air of Diagon Alley hit her throat before she could open her eyes. She was in a small alley that stunk of frog spawn. Hera, the cat after Crookshanks, had run up the building on her left fourth year, to much panicking.

Stepping around a passed out drunk wrapped in tatty green robes, she strode purposefully towards the Leaky Cauldron. A few families were wandering slowly, doing early Christmas shopping, but it was mostly harried witches and wizards going to and fro. A goblin frowned up at Rose's jeans and bright scarf.

Rocky's was only a block away, but Rose was chilled to the bone by the time the cross street came into view. On the corner stood a Muggle couple, arms wound around each other's waist. A few feet back a tall young man wearing a curious black coat was leaning against a brick building, long legs awkwardly folded together. He looked like a crane dressed in an undertaker's clothes.

Rose laughed and walked faster, shrieking when a bicyclist shook his fist at her from behind a freak mask that covered his face like a glove.

"Rose Weasley!" the young man said, surprised. He was wearing a stocking cap. It was black, naturally.

"Hi, Scorpius Malfoy. You're wearing a beanie?" Rose laughed, gesturing to his head. He looked perplexed, touching the crown of his head.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's just not very...firstborn male Malfoyish, is it?''

"Well, Weasleys don't wear, erm, wear that many scarves!" Scorpius sputtered for a comeback.

"I apologize for the stereotype, Malfoy. I also apologize if I was late. I inherited it from my father," Rose stopped at his bewildered expression. She had always imagined the Malfoys sitting primly, not talking, in a cold marble hall. So naturally a bossy chatterbox would would be irritating.

"You were,"

"Hmm?"

"Late, I mean. I've been here for a quarter of an hour. Thought you stood me up," Rose sobered at his hurt expression. Apparently no one stood up a Malfoy.

"Oh, Merlin's pants! I didn't realize it was that late. There was a fiasco involving the jam singing and my aunt's hair," Scorpius moved a step closer, and Rose edged back a little bit.

"And another thing, you didn't mean this to be a datey thing, right?" another gust of wind whistled by them, digging into the soft parts of Rose. The Malfoy didn't look like he had any soft parts.

He looked like he was made of long bones, strung together as one would with Christmas tinsel, painted with essence au ghost. Especially his nose, which looked so haphazard, slipping in and out of his profile.

"It can be whatever you want it to be," his hands were clasped, and looked vaguely blue.

"I have a boyfriend, so I intended for it to be on friendly terms. Dear goodness, you're starting to shiver! The shop's right here," Rose pulled on his tinsel arm, down the side alley.

"I-I-I'm supposed to say that," he was leaning against her, so she wrapped an arm around him. Her fingers found a groove and settled there, just below his ribs.

A middle-aged woman in purple leggings and football boots hurried by them, carrying a cup. Rose let go of Scorpius's side and drew out her wand.

"_What a good brew!" _she exclaimed to the blank, beige wall, tapping it. A crack ruptured it silently, drawing back and revealing a jagged entrance.

"That's the password? It's a tad silly," Scorpius ground out from in between his teeth, which were still chattering loudly. Rose just nodded, and ducked her head through the entryway.

"This is my favorite place in London," Rose called out behind her, the words echoing back to her in the stone hallway. It had suddenly become toasty and delectable wafts of freshly ground coffee curled their way around them.

The end of the hallway opened up into a cul-de-sac, Rocky's mushrooming off of the left side and a small bookstore to the right. A small square of blue sky shone from far above them, and Rose pushed away a squeamish feeling of claustrophobia.

"That's The Best of Books, they also sell some really rare ink and quills. And here we are. I hope that Danae is on duty," Rose murmured to herself.

Rocky's was small, a half a dozen tables pushed around a roaring purple fireplace. Behind the counter, witches and wizards in golden aprons took orders and bustled to get them. A mysterious machine, painted to match the aprons, squatted in the corner. Every few minutes it whistled a few bars of an old Weird Sisters song and one of the waiters hurried over to fill a cup from its spout.

" Don't order anything with dragon in the name. Those are always wicked spicy," Rose hurried up to the counter, still tugging Scorpius behind her.

The wizard in front of them frowned at the board on the wall, drinks written in slanting cursive. An eraser suddenly flew up, and erased a scone option, then settled back down in a puff of white. The wizard decided, and Rose bounced forward, Scorpius slinking up behind her.  
>"Good morning! Could I have a Phoenix Rising, please? Do you know if Danae is here today? Yes? Thank you!" Rose shouted over an especially high whistle of the massive coffee machine. The waiter nodded at his quill and gestured to Scorpius.<p>

"Erm, I'll have the Loch Selkie?" he asked dubiously, and the barista raised his eyebrows but sent the slip of paper off with a wave.

"That one's intense," Rose sat down in an armchair, and laid her coat on the armrest.

"Spicy?"Scorpius froze like a warthog confronted with an Erumpent horn.

"Ha, no. It's just very intensely flavorful and occasionally drinkers have very philosophical revelations shortly after," judging by his face, Rose had not comforted him.

"You'll be fine. I just remembered where I lost my favorite socks last time I ordered it. So, where do you work?"she asked, leaning back into the cushions.

"I'm just starting off at the Prophet. Investigative crime reporting, for the most part. Did you see an article about the flesh-eating top hats?''

"I don't think so,"

"Well, I wrote that. It was on page 10, and was about one paragraph. No pictures," Scorpius sighed, and slumped in his chair. His back was could bend itself into a half circle, Rose thought, without cracking.

"They don't accept many fresh out of Hogwarts, though. And I'm surprised that that wasn't front page. The top hats, I mean," Rose reached out a her hand and brushed his sleeve.

"They were only carnivorous in theory, actually. I suppose that's why. Where are you working?" he winced slightly, his sliding nose scrunching into a mountain range.

"A subdivision that researches and develops new charms. It's kind of cool, when it isn't shockingly dull," Rose mirrored his expression, twisting her fingers in her lap.

"How'd you get that? It was on my list, but they rejected me right off the bat. And I'm a bloody Ravenclaw!" Scorpius replied indignantly, leaning in.

"I did really well in Ancient Runes, Charms and Transfiguration. But almost failing Potions took out a lot of options, on the other hand," Rose chuckled, a little surprised she was sharing her grades with a boy that had barely existed two weeks ago.

"That's why they didn't like me. I didn't even attempt to take Runes… Oh, that's our order isn't it?" Scorpius asked, twisting improbably again to see the counter.

"I'll go get it. My friend is supposed to be here somewhere…" Rose leaped up from the chair to retrieve the drinks.

"Rosie!" a raspy female voice called out to her from beneath the counter, followed by the appearance of a dark head.

"Fitz told me a "crazy flame-haired girl with an outbreak of freckles" was looking for me," Danae said, reaching over to pinch Rose's cheek.

"Dan! I haven't seen you in so long," Rose smiled at the counter boy's description of her, and squeezed her short friend's arm. She wiped her hands on her golden apron, and leaned on the counter.

"Skip the pleasantries, Weasel. Is that another boy I see over there? He looks a bit emo," Danae conspicuously craned her head before Rose pushed it back down .

"What do you mean?" Rose hissed "Rudy and I are still very much together! He was just the one that saved me,"

"Saved you?"

"Godric, you never found out!"

"Now don't freak out, Dani. Last full moon… I got attacked," Rose gulped, praying Danae would take this well.

"By what?" she asked, voice hushed. Unnaturally, because Danae was never soft.

"A werewolf," Rose replied, even softer. Normally she would chide Danae for not realizing it sooner, but this was not an ordinary situation and Rose was no longer an ordinary girl.

"Heavens above, Rose," Danae made no move to hug her or step back, just stood there, arms hung like a doll's.

"I know. I'm sorry, everything's been so downright crazy and then this happened," Rose found that there was a pleading note in her voice. Begging that she would still accept her.

"I'm sorry. Rose, I really am. I just need some time...with this," Danae backed away, into the kitchens. Rose stared after her, the sounds of the bustling cafe drifting away,

"S'cuse me, Rose, these yours?" it was Will, the scrawny kid who looked half his age but knew more about Magical Law than most of Rose's superiors.

"Yeah, thanks Will," Rose said distractedly and stumbled back over to Scorpius.

"Do people always greet you happily, then burst into tears?" he asked, with a crooked grin. It faded when he saw her face.

"She's a friend who didn't know about the whole _situation. _Do you mind if we just don't talk about it?" Rose almost flinched at the pitying look in Scorpius's eyes.

"Sure. Any particular subjects you want to talk about?" he was good at schooling his emotions, pulling up a genial smile.

"We might as well learn about each other. I don't know anything about you," Rose sipped her drink, the warm liquid flushing her cheeks.

"Is it normal that you're glowing? Am I?" Scorpius was ever so adorable when flustered.

"Yeah, it's a side effect. And no, you're not. But tell me about you," Rose smiled, glad for the distraction.

"Well, I've been meaning to tell you…" his fingers were dancing along his thigh, smile curved down suddenly.

"Yes?" Rose prodded him on. It couldn't be _that _bad.

"Most people from our year only remember me for one reason. Do you recall, in our fifth year, the whole commotion with the boy who wouldn't stop screaming?" his smile had returned, but looked a little more wicked.

"I do… Right after the owls arrived, something broke?" Rose hazarded, not willing to guess yet.

"Yeah. I was a little surprised you didn't connect that right away. I get a lot of _oh, you're that kid you had the mental breakdown in front of everybody, aren't you?" _he was chuckling in a self-mocking way.

"Oh...You seem perfectly sane to me!"Rose said, a bit weakly

"I am, I assure you. I just had a lapse of judgement at the moment. What about you?" he had wiped his face clear again.

"What?"

"I mean, what's the craziest thing you've ever done?"

"I'd say looking for kappas with with my brother. It didn't end well. And to bring up the awkward family thing again, I was serious about you not being Malfoyish. I'm only talking of the good, or rather neutral, aspects," Rose prayed he wouldn't take this the wrong way.

"I'm not offended, because you're right. Just brave to bring it up. A true Gryffindor!" Scorpius started to lift an invisible sword aloft with one hand.

"That I am. But continue, my dear Ravenclaw," Rose swept one hand forward, inclining her head in a bow.

"I think I used to be quite Malfoyish, but Ravenclaw changed that. Suddenly I was around a huge variety of people, and their favorite color wasn't always green. And then working at the Prophet opened up my true self. My father wasn't too happy about my decision to work there," he exaggerated his inflection upon saying 'true self' and smiled again.

"That's quite Gryffindorish of you. But why are you telling me all of it?" Rose retorted, and cocked her head.

"You have a trustworthy aura, as Professor Puckle would say," any thoughts of Danae had been swept away by this point. Thank Merlin for Scorpius Malfoy and his witty comments.

"Thank you! I think that we should be friends," Rose bounced forward, and Scorpius stifled his laugh. She looked like an over excited puppy.

"Okay," he replied.

"I'm sorry-Am I being horribly forward and irritating? My friends have this weird notion that I'm bossy," Rose smiled cockily to show that she was kidding.

"And my friends tell me I don't get out enough. It's a deal. My one condition is no taking me out to nightclubs,"

"Grand. My one condition is that we have nicknames. I love nicknames with all my heart,"

"I warn you, no one has ever nicknamed me. My name is practically impossible,"

"I can do it!" Rose rustled through her bag, and emerged with a scrap of old parchment and a snapped quill.

"Here's a quill. I want to see how this process works," Scorpius considered his position, then maneuvered himself around the table and sat next to Rose.

"Oooh, you have cool ink. Moving on, we start off by dividing your name in half. Scor and Pius, then look at the options. There's the obvious choice of Pious," Scorpius's hair tickled Rose's bare collarbone as he vehemently shook his head.

"Okay, I'll list some. Scotty? No, how about Corey? Corny? I know that was bad..." Rose growled in frustration and ran a hand through her hair. Or attempted to.

"That was terrible. You write down more ideas, I'm going to think of _yours_," Rose cocked a brow, but leaned back over the paper.

"I've got it," Scorpius said almost six minutes later.

"What?! How do you have one already? A newbie!" Rose fell quiet when Scorpius spread his hands out in the air before them. His fingers looked like the trembling, white branches in the woods near Uncle Percy's house.

"I dub thee, Rose Weasley, 'Ree'," he carefully awaited her expression. Rose closed her eyes and mouthed it a few times, then smiled broadly. She was sure all her teeth were on display.

"I love that. It's lovely. Thank you, Untitled," Rose flung one arm around his shoulders for moment in a half-hug.

"It suits you," he replied quietly. Suddenly shy, Rose turned her head, and felt a puff of hot breath on her neck.

"Want to go? Think of a name for me?" Rose nodded, waved to Will, and followed Scorpius out the door.

"So…" Scorpius started before Rose violently shushed him.

He twisted his mouth into a half smile, and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Under the dark sky and unyielding streetlights, he was all black and white.

For awhile they strolled, ten inches apart at the hip, heads inclined to each other. The moon suddenly seemed so prevalent, in its half state, bright and bleached beside the stars.

"I should probably go. My aunt is still treating me like an invalid," Rose finally said. They had wandered to a quaint little park, abandoned but for the trills of roosting pigeons.

"You are, you know. But, let me know if I can help with anything," Scorpius gulped, chewing on his lip.

"Anything related to lycanthropy, you mean," Rose said bitterly, then froze.

"What is it?" Scorpius asked, alarmed, glancing all around.

"I have your nickname! Gus!" Rose shouted, then winced at how loud it had been.

"You scared me! Gus...I think I like it," he said musingly, looking at a bouncing Rose.

"It's a little non sequitur, I must admit, but I took the last syllable of your name, added 'g' and there you are," Scorpius smiled right up to his eyes, to the fringe of his blonde bangs and the edge of his beanie.

"We're perfect," he hummed, and Rose resisted the urge to throw her arms around him for a moment. And then she did it anyways, and he waited for a moment before stringing his tinsel arms and white birch fingers around her waist.

"I agree, Gus. It was good to see you. Don't disappear now you know how strange I am," Rose said, stepping back.

"I like it. I mean you are exceedingly strange, but what else would I expect from a Weasley?" Scorpius shot back.

"If you were an un-nicknamed friend that would be a capital offense. Bye Gus," Rose hated goodbyes, and so didn't wait completely wait until he was done. But she caught the tail end of it.

_See you, Ree._

7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

It was suddenly startlingly silent and black. Rose had been successful in her Apparation this time, landing just outside Molly's cabbage patch. A lone bull frog croaked raspily.

Rose began to spin around, towards the light streaming from the kitchen window, but a sudden head rush came upon her. Shocked by the force of the dizziness, she leaned on the nearest stone wall, one hand pressed to her temple.

Voices seemed to be whispering from somewhere to her left. They were tiny, childlike and unisex.

_Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose. Rose._

They were chanting her first name over and over, a thousand whispers turned into a roar. Turning her head, curls in her eyes, Rose realizing it was coming from _all over. _

From the whistling reed, the trickling stream, from the sky. The very wind blew about the eerie invisible beings. With a great clatter, Rose fell, crumpling to the ground. Her arms held wide, hair streaming outwards on a tide of red, she looked like a fallen bird.

"Yes?" she whispered to the sky and the reeds and the wind.

_We've found you, Rose. We've found you._

**So, tell me how it was. And now you know why I titled the story so. Reviews/Follows/Favs would be loverly. Thanks so much to everyone who has done so.**

**-Elwood**


	5. Chapter 5

Big AN:PLEASE READ! So I know that not that many people are reading this story, but I thought I should put this up. I have pretty bad depression, and have wanted to kill myself a lot over the last few weeks. Please don't worry about me, I have it in control, and lots of people supporting me. I'm not in a bad situation, my brain just decides to screw with me every once in awhile, and it's hard to function. Therefore, I don't have the time or energy to work on this story now, and I might update in one month, or one year, or maybe never. Thanks for your patience, and I repeat that I'm safe now, and not in danger of hurting myself.

-Elwood


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